Apple is testing an unreleased chip with a 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU, and 36GB of memory, according to an App Store developer log obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip is being tested inside a future high-end MacBook Pro running the upcoming macOS 14 update, which is expected to be announced at WWDC next month.
In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said this chip could be the base-level M3 Pro for the next-generation 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models launching next year. The chip is expected to be manufactured based on TSMC's 3nm process for significant performance and power efficiency improvements.
The current base-level M2 Pro chip in the 14-inch MacBook Pro has a 10-core CPU and 16-core GPU, and starts with 16GB of memory, so the M3 Pro chip would have at least two extra cores for both the CPU and GPU. Apple last updated the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro in January, so the laptops are unlikely to be updated again until at least 2024.
Apple still has to release the standard M3 chip before moving on to the M3 Pro and M3 Max chips. Gurman said Apple is working on new iMac, MacBook Air, and low-end MacBook Pro models with the M3 chip, and he continues to believe the first Macs with the M3 chip will be released towards the end of this year or early next year.
In the meantime, Gurman said the long-rumored 15-inch MacBook Air will be released this summer with the M2 chip. He previously said the laptop would be announced at WWDC, which begins with Apple's keynote on June 5.
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